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Arson robs communities of its valuable assets, lives, and property. Arson destroys more than buildings; it can devastate a community resulting in the decline of the neighborhood through increased insurance premiums, loss of business revenue, and a decrease in property values.

Communities can develop a Watch Program, partnering with their local fire department, law enforcement, insurance providers, business leaders, churches, and local community groups. Neighborhoods can reduce the likelihood of arson occurring by promoting neighborhood watches, educating people about recognizing and reporting unusual activities, and implementing improved internal and external security for homes and businesses.

A community Arson Watch Program can put the neighbor back into neighborhood by creating a sense of cooperation. It brings the fire service, law enforcement, and citizens together to reduce the crime of arson.

A neighborhood’s arson problem can range from youngsters setting nuisance fires to a full-blown crisis with a serial arsonist. The scope of the problem may differ, but the solution—an arson prevention program, is identical.

There is no cookie cutter approach for a community to use when setting up a Community Arson Watch program or any local coalition. Following the successful Neighborhood Watch five-step program model provides an effective foundation.

Steps

Method1

Establishing a Community Arson Watch Program

1

Analyze the specific local problem and collect related data. Strategies that address the problems in a given area must be mapped out. From the outset, it is essential to facilitate neighbors working together. This effort provides an opportunity for neighbors to meet and get to know each other, something that has become less common lately. Yet, it is crucial to include neighborhood involvement for the process to be successful.

In addition to not being familiar with your neighbors, the dilemma is compounded by the fact that many adults in vulnerable neighborhoods work multiple jobs frequently with odd hours, making it extraordinarily difficult to schedule meetings and organize events. This environment also makes it challenging for neighbors to get to know and care about one another in a way that would encourage them to watch out for each other but you need to find compromises to get them together, even if it's a series of meetings at different times.

2

Build a partnership between fire and emergency services, the police and other law enforcement agencies, and the residents. This is often the most difficult step to hurdle because there is usually angst between the residents and law enforcement for the existing crime problem that exists in their community.

3

Assess the needs of a given neighborhood and in the case of arson, how the fire and police departments can work with the residents. Neighborhood Watch in the USA states, “In many cases, law enforcement and community members do not have the same focus. For instance, law enforcement may be focusing their attention on a problem that the neighborhood is not concerned about, such as attempting to address major crimes throughout the city. On the other hand, community members may be more concerned about crimes such as bicycle thefts or graffiti, which are considered minor from a police standpoint.” An effective Neighborhood Arson Watch program will combine the needs of the fire and police departments with those of the neighborhood when determining which problems to focus on and the methods used to address them.

4

Set up a Neighborhood Watch program by choosing and training a dynamic group of volunteers that are led by organized and motivated leaders. If the group leaders are devoid of motivation and organization, the volunteers may be uninspired to participate and will quickly quit out of disappointment and frustration. Select the leaders wisely and give the leaders reasons to be proud of their role.

5

Develop meaningful projects specific to the identified problem. Often, after a Neighborhood Watch has addressed its original issue, members lose interest. It is important for leaders to remain passionate and committed for the long term. One way to accomplish this is to design new projects so that there is always a goal towards which the team of volunteers is aspiring. Arson prevention projects should focus on identifying and removing what could burn or materials that an arsonist could use to start a fire, such as:

Clean up the neighborhood by removing all garbage, material, and excess vegetation that is capable of being ignited.

Remove all possible sources of ignition such as flammable liquids and unused gas containers.

Remove abandoned vehicles. According to the USFA’s NFIRS data and the NFPA, there is an annual estimated average of 25,328 intentional fires involving vehicles.[1] Most car fires are started to cover up other criminal activity or simply as an act of vandalism. An abandoned car is a target for arson.

Secure abandoned and vacant homes which are potential arson targets. This may be comprised with additional locks or the boarding up of broken windows or other openings with plywood. Communicate with the owner that authorities are concerned about the vacant home and explain why.

Contact public works to disconnect all utilities at the street. This includes natural gas, water, and electricity. If there are liquefied petroleum gas tanks, they should be disconnected and removed.

Encourage Neighborhood Watch members to patrol these areas and write down descriptions, license plates of suspicious vehicles, and potential suspect descriptions.

Method2

Arson Prevention: Businesses

1

Each year there are over 500 arson attacks on eating and drinking establishments, stores, mercantile properties, and office buildings. You can help prevent your business from becoming one of these statistics with a few straightforward safety measures.

2

Identify all of the means in which someone could deliberately start a fire inside or outside your business or office. Bathrooms are the leading area of origin for intentional structure fires that occurred in stores or offices.

3

Be aware that small fires are all too often a warning of worse events to come. Have there been small fires in your business previously? Have you heard about other fires occurring locally?

4

Be on the lookout for other forms of vandalism, including graffiti or damage to nearby businesses.

5

Remind employees and staff of the threat of arson and have them report any suspicious behavior. Be sure to teach them how to identify suspicious behaviors too.

6

Perform a risk assessment. Piles of trash, rubbish, or recyclables leave the business particularly vulnerable to an arsonist providing an accessible fuel for a fire.

7

Analyze the vulnerability of your office or business by looking at the building and what goes on within it. Note possible ways in which fires could be started deliberately.

8

Identify the susceptible points both inside and outside the buildings and in the external areas within the building perimeter. In addition, consider the area in which your business or office is located in order to assess the likelihood of an arson attack in the neighborhood.

9

Remove all possible sources of ignition such as flammable liquids and gases, combustible materials including trash, furnishings, and other combustible elements of the structure.

10

Equip your business or office with fire sprinklers. If a fire is set, having sprinklers installed is the best way to save lives and to protect your property.

Method3

Arson Prevention: Places of Worship

1

The burning of a place of worship is a stressful event; it not only devastates the affected congregation but wounds the entire community. Whether the motivation behind the arson is hate or reckless vandalism, a congregation views it as an attack on their life and beliefs. As with any arson prevention program, there are three factors which need to be addressed for places of worship: external security, internal security, and community awareness.

2

Implement external security:

Illuminate the exterior and entrances.

Use motion-activated lighting near doors and windows.

Keep shrubbery and trees trimmed so the building can be observed by passing patrols.

If in a rural setting, ensure crops are far enough away to allow proper illumination of the area.

Do not allow church signs to block the view of the building.

Many buildings have basement entries that are hidden from view. These should be secured with locking, ground-level doors when the building is not in use.

Ladders, external stairways, and fire escapes allowing access to the roof should be secured.

Painting the building white or constructing it with light-colored brick makes a human figure more readily seen at night.

Consider fencing the areas or sides that are not readily visible to patrols or neighbors.

3

Provide internal security:

Use properly installed deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.

Windows that can be opened should have adequate locks on them.

Consider decorative or wrought iron protection for windows. (Windows used as emergency exits must still be able to be opened in an emergency.) Doors should have similar protection.

Installation of a combination burglar and fire alarm with a phone dialer should be considered.

If there is a private security firm in your area, consider a contract with them as they will check the building at unscheduled intervals.

Keep a current list of all individuals that have access to keys and change locks periodically.

Encourage neighbors to make note of strangers spending time in the neighborhood, either on foot or in vehicles.

Write down the license plate numbers of suspicious vehicles and inform the proper authorities swiftly.

Do not advertise on signs or bulletins when the place of worship will not be in use.

Method4

Arson Prevention: Schools

1

When a school is damaged by fire, the effects are wider reaching than the damage to the building. Arson results in major distress to students and staff along with disrupted and lost class educational time affecting learning, exams, and educational advancement. Teachers lose valuable teaching tools and resources that they have built up over their career. Schools are the heart of a local community and it is crucial to make sure they are safe. By taking some basic precautions in working practices, it is possible to minimize the risk of fire:

2

Deter unauthorized entry into the school by posting visible signs, and while the school is closed, ensure the building is well lit, as most crimes occur under the cover of darkness.

3

Storage facilities and sheds used to hold sports equipment should also be well lit and located at least 10 feet (3.0 m) from the main building to avoid fire spread from these buildings involving the whole school.

4

Reduce the opportunity for an arsonist to start a fire by eliminating easily combustible and flammable materials located outside the school buildings. This includes the removal or locking up of garbage bins and recyclable materials.

5

Many schools have temporary classrooms or trailers. These buildings should be fit with covers or skirts at the base to prevent combustible materials being placed underneath buildings and ignited.

6

Block narrow spaces or alleys between buildings which provide cover to arsonists with an immovable barrier or fence.

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 8 references. This article has also been viewed 31,174 times.